Stays in Vegas?
by RochelleRene
Summary: A sequel to "What Happens in Vegas"; House, Wilson, and Cuddy deal with the aftermath of the conference.  Rated M for Huddy smut.  Please keep suggesting what you want to see in the reviews!  You asked for more Wilson, so here you go!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I love Huddy (and Wilson), but I did not invent them. David Shore did.**

CHAPTER 1

The alarm went off too early. House and Cuddy had gotten in very late from their Vegas trip, but had to get back to work that day. House hit the alarm clock and rolled over against Cuddy's body. She was warm and smelled good and he didn't see any reason to rush out of bed. He just buried his face in her hair and slowly ran his hand along her body.

"You always do this," Cuddy mumbled.

"Hmm?" House murmured, still half asleep.

"You make it a hundred times more difficult to get out of bed," she told him.

"Then don't," he said, pulling her closer. She could feel him "waking up" behind her and was tempted to follow his suggestion. He kissed her shoulder and convinced her a little more. His hand skated across her belly and sealed the deal. She turned her head and rolled over to look at him. They kissed softly, and then the kisses turned more intense. House's hand moved to her ass and pulled her against him. He kissed her chin. Then…

"Mama?" came over the monitor. "Mama?" again. Cuddy sighed. Many times they would still manage a quickie when this happened, but Cuddy hadn't seen Rachel in almost a week, their flight getting in so late the night before.

"Go get your girl," House told her. "I've hogged you all week." Cuddy smiled and got up, excited to scoop Rachel up. "I'll make coffee," House said, pulling on some underwear and pants and shuffling to the kitchen.

"Hi, my baby!" House was in the kitchen and heard Cuddy down the hall.

"Mama!" Rachel shouted. He heard the rustling of Cuddy getting her out of the crib and Rachel just murmuring "Mama. Mama," as she cuddled Cuddy. They came into the kitchen and Rachel looked around. "H-ows," she declared.

House looked at her. "Hey," he replied. Rachel cracked up.

"She's such an easy audience," he observed, pouring two cups of coffee and scanning the cereals.

"Ugh, I don't want to go back to work!" Cuddy declared, flopping into a kitchen chair and cuddling Rachel. House poured a sippy cup of milk and handed that and a cup of coffee to Cuddy.

"Post-vacation blues," he noted. "Don't worry, by lunch you'll have forgotten how taking a break even felt." Cuddy wrinkled her nose, hating that idea. "Hope Wilson's been okay dealing with Bauer."

"He would have called you if something happened, don't you think?" Cuddy asked.

"Hard to say. He probably would make a pro/con chart about whether or not to bother us," he hypothesized. Cuddy laughed and nodded.

"You wanna shower first or second?" she asked.

"I _want_ to shower simultaneously," he replied.

"I know, but we have this small child that needs breakfast," she explained.

House looked at Rachel with a fake scowl. "Buzzkill," he said to her.

"H-ows!" she yelled, laughing.

"You go first," he said. "I can pour Cheerios."

Cuddy put Rachel in her high chair and kissed House on the cheek before padding off to shower. House sipped his coffee and stared at Rachel. "Miss me?" he asked.

"H-ows!" she yelled, cracking up.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

House returned to work and a new case was waiting. He and the team were in the early stages of a differential, having run no tests yet and only having the patient's symptoms to go on. His phone rang.

"House, you need to come to my office immediately," Cuddy told him.

"Excellent," he replied, "Should I bring anything? Wanna play doctor?"

"House," she continued without the slightest laugh at his joke, "I am telling you as your boss. Right now." She hung up.

House knew immediately that the Bauer thing was here to bite him in the ass. "Get an MRI and keep checking for any vision loss in the other eye," he told the team. "I'll be back to look at the scan." He started down to Cuddy's office.

When he entered, she was in full force already, tangling it up with Bauer. When House walked in, Bauer whirled on him, yelling "Enjoy yourself, House, cuz this is gonna get ugly, real fast. You think you're so slick, but guess what, asshole? Once your pull your shit outside of your protected little fortress, with no Cuddy there to cover your ass, you're no longer invincible. I'm going to the ethics board about you having the nerve to impersonate me to a group of colleagues."

"That will be an interesting conversation with the ethics board," Cuddy explained calmly, "Seeing as you're the one who stole another person's work."

"Which you have no evidence of," Bauer retorted.

"That you know of," Cuddy threw back.

"If you wanna go in that direction," House joined in, calmly sitting down even though they were both standing, "_You_, Bauer, have no evidence that I was even present for what you are accusing me of. I didn't have a hotel room. I wasn't registered for the conference. So if you want to play the 'I'm a bastard, but you can't prove it' game, I can play too."

"That will put your girlfriend in the precarious situation, House, of having to lie to officials about you," Bauer countered.

_She's done it before_, House thought, a little sadly actually. "Bauer, this isn't even going to get that far. As soon as the counter accusation is made, they are going to turn over every rock surrounding your research. And if you did this to Wilson, I imagine there were others. How secure do you really feel about that kind of digging?" he asked.

"How secure do you feel about what happens to both of you if you get discovered impersonating another doctor and that it was endorsed by your superior slash girlfriend?" he was looking at Cuddy now, knowing she cared more about what there was to lose. "How would that reflect on you, Dr. Cuddy, and this hospital?"

"Not well, Dr. Bauer," she admitted, "But neither would having a doctor who steals research from a colleague. I'll let you guess which I think is the lesser of two evils."

_Score Cuddy_, House thought.

"You two can act as unfazed as you want," Bauer threatened, "But if I go down, I'm taking you both with me. I know House is capable of anything. But you don't have the stomach for this, Cuddy. You're not going to lie to investigators."

"Bauer," Cuddy took a deep breath, "As a human being and as the head of this hospital, you might be surprised what lengths I will go to to protect my good doctors and to get rid of my bad ones." She met Bauer's eyes and didn't even blink.

"I might not," he said, staring at House and stalking out.

As soon as the door slammed behind him, Cuddy released a huge sigh and sunk into a chair. "Damn, Cuddy," House exclaimed, "Nice work. You didn't let him intimidate you a bit."

"I didn't let him _see_ that he was intimidating me," she corrected. "I'm scared shitless about him going to the ethics board with this."

"Look, Cuddy, don't worry about lying for me. I can handle the heat from this. You can't risk yourself," he told her.

"House, I can't risk you either," she explained. "If you had to lose your job you'd drive me fucking crazy!"

"You could be my sugar mama," he reasoned, smiling at her.

"Yeah, and come home to a restaurant's worth of food and files on 'patients' you're treating via internet?" she foresaw. "No thanks. Anyway, that's not even the point. The point is, what you did was technically wrong, but morally in the right. What he did is just horrible. I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure he gets what's coming to him."

"He might be bluffing," House posited.

Cuddy thought about it. "Maybe. But even if you think someone's bluffing you try to get the best hand you can, right?" House looked at her, gears turning in her head. "I have an idea," she told him.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Cuddy had asked House to watch Rachel. She had stayed late because she was interviewing medical students who had worked with Wilson and with Bauer the previous year. She wanted documentation of how they worked with them that would show that Bauer had not implemented any of the techniques he was claiming as his own, and that, in fact, Wilson was the owner of the work. Many of the busy students couldn't meet with her until weird hours, due to their shift schedules, but Cuddy wanted to do it ASAP, before word got back to Bauer. She came home after 10 to find House sitting on the couch playing a video game, Rachel leaning against him asleep in her diaper.

"House!" Cuddy exclaimed. "Why isn't she in bed?"

"She kept getting out," he explained. "She knew you weren't home and was missing you, I think." Cuddy made a sad face. "I knew she'd konk out if she'd just lay still, so I let her watch me play." Cuddy started taking off her coat and stowing her briefcase.

"Where are her pajamas?" Cuddy asked.

"Well…" House explained. "I was eating ice cream," he began. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "What am I gonna do, Cuddy? She wanted some and got it all over. I didn't know what you wanted her in… I can't tell in there what's clothes, pajamas, or curtains. Everything's just pink and fuzzy."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "So you can diagnose a worm in someone's brain or a tick in someone's vagina, but you can't identify pajamas?"

"I don't have my team!" he explained. Cuddy scooped sleepy Rachel up, who opened her eyes a tiny bit and mumbled "H-ows," as she was carried to bed. House smiled a little. Cuddy went off to lay Rachel down and House turned off the TV and went to the bedroom.

He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Cuddy come in, quietly shutting the door behind her. She took her suit jacket off and pulled a hanger out of her closet. "So, how did it go?" House asked her, concerned about how much she and Wilson were worrying, but still feeling pretty sure that Bauer was too big of a pussy to follow-through.

"Really well," Cuddy said promisingly. "Every single one of Wilson's student cited activities described in his research and none of Bauer's did. It couldn't have worked out better." Cuddy started to unzip her skirt, but House reached out and hooked his fingers into the waist of her skirt and pulled her to him so she was standing between his legs. He laid his face against her body and she hugged his head.

"That's perfect, then," he replied, his words muffled by her skin. His hands went around her and met at her skirt's zipper, sliding it down. "So if he decides to pursue this, we have ammo to retaliate." He let her skirt drop to the floor and ran his hands over her ass, cutely sticking out of the bottom of her panties.

"I'm actually thinking to go in guns blazing," Cuddy replied, closing her eyes and relaxing into the feeling of House's hands on her, his face nuzzling against her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up and beginning to unbutton her shirt.

"I'm thinking Wilson should pursue a complaint to the ethics committee," she said. "We should chase Bauer out before he has time to even attempt something towards us. It's all so clear with these interviews and with Wilson's files on the work; I don't think the investigation would even take long." House thought about that as he slid her shirt off her shoulders. "But then…" she hesitated.

"But then Bauer coming after me for the conference is a sure thing, I know," House said, gliding his hand over her bare skin, staring at her gorgeous body accentuated by black lace.

"House, I don't know if they'd even indulge his claims, or even find what you did all that heinous in comparison. Intellectual property is much more sacred to them-" she was explaining.

"Cuddy, do I look worried?" he asked, looking up at her while he pulled her closer to him. "It's what's best for you and Wilson, and I have an easy story: I went to support Wilson, Bauer didn't show up, and I used the opportunity. It was a rash decision made in the heat of the moment."

She smiled at him. "Rashly made the night before when you paid two hookers to seduce him," she added, "Which is on my credit card record."

"For him?" he asked. "Those hookers were for you and me, Cuddy. Man, you _were_ drunk. You don't even remember that night." He winked at her.

"Your night in Vegas with three women…" Cuddy summarized. "You should write that up and send it into Playboy." She straddled him on the edge of the bed, wrapping her legs, still in black stockings, around his back.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I already did," he joked, kissing her neck and running his hand over her breast. "It won best letter. The prize is you get to pose for Miss October."

"Oh! Wow!" she exclaimed, bringing her hand to her heart in faux surprise. "What should I wear?"

"This," House answered immediately. "But without this," he added, unhooking her bra. He bent his head and began kissing her breasts. Cuddy sighed.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his face in her hands and lifting his eyes to meet hers. "House, you're drunk on lust. Focus for a minute and tell me if you really think that's what we should do."

"First of all, Cuddy," he replied, "I've been drunk on lust for you for years – yet I can still find a worm in someone's brain. Secondly, I assure you this is what we should do. I can take any heat that comes my way, and Bauer will fry. I just hope Wilson can keep it together," he said.

Cuddy nodded, satisfied that he agreed with her decision. "Alright. Resume," she instructed. He laughed and returned his attention to her breasts. Cuddy slid her hands down his back and up his sides, feeling his body as he held her.

Now House stopped and looked up at her. "Cuddy, my handling it the way I did – I didn't mean for it to land back on you. I maybe should have thought that through a little more."

"House, are you apologizing? I feel like I'm hallucinating," she teased.

"My actions have always led me to have to answer to you. But I forget that now my actions reflect on you too. I don't regret what I did on behalf of Wilson, but if any of it comes back to even slightly embarrass you, I feel terrible about that," he explained.

"I'm a big girl, House. I knew who I was getting involved with. If they accuse me of sleeping with you I'm not going to shrivel into a ball and die," she answered. "They can't imply that that means I can control you."

"Even though it does," he grinned at her.

"Even though it does," she agreed. She pulled his tee shirt off over his head. "So will you please shut up now and fuck me?"

"I feel so micro-managed," he whined, laying back and pulling her on top of him. She kissed his neck, feeling his stubble on her lips. He had one hand in her hair, holding it back, and the other was working its way under her panties. Cuddy felt his fingers glide over her slit and a moan immediately escaped her lips. She found her hips involuntarily pushing toward his hand. House teased her, pulling his hand back except for the tip of his fingers, which grazed her clit. Cuddy was grinding against him now, pinning his hand between their two bodies. House relented and slid three fingers into her heat, feeling her body tighten around them. She heard him quietly groan, knowing he was imagining being inside of her.

"I know what you're thinking," she whispered in his ear. She suddenly felt like playing with him. That was what they did – wrestled for momentary control of the other, even in these intimate situations. That's what happens, she supposed, when two unstoppable forces collide.

He smiled a little, eyes closed as he continued exploring her with his fingers, his other hand leaving her hair to cup her breast as she propped herself on an elbow, watching his face. Even just the slightest smile on his lips made her melt. "What's that?" he asked, taking the bait.

"You're imagining what it's going to feel like when you slide these panties off of me," she told him, "Pushing them down my legs." She watched his smile grow a little, and a quick tiny wince struck his closed eyes. She undid his fly. "You're thinking about how you're going to leave my stockings on and roll me over," she continued, "and pin my arms above my head." House's lips parted and his breath puffed out heavier now. She pushed his pants and boxers down his legs. His fingers were more insistent now, feeling her wetness and moving to her clit. Cuddy felt her breath catch at his touch, but wanted to continue this, enjoying for once having him searching for words. "There I'll be below you," she told him, "waiting for you to push into me, dying to feel you." House bit his lip, and his face tensed in a slight strain to control himself. His free hand started pushing her panties down. "Waaaiit," she sang, "Let me finish reading your mind."

"Cuddy, God," he breathed. "I…" he was truly speechless.

"I know," she said in a comforting voice. "You want to start this. But let me just tell you how it ends. You feel me lifting up, pushing up to meet you. Can you imagine that, House?" He nodded. "And then you push inside me," - The tiniest whimper came out of him. - "and you feel me all around you, all tight and wet and warm." House lifted his head and then let it slam back against the bed. "You'll start moving, making yourself go slowly at first, trying to just feel me and enjoy taking your time. But you'll feel my body beneath you, House. Because of you, I'll be squirming and tensing with anticipation. You'll be making me feel so good." House had been occupying his free hand with the edge of her panties, but he now started forcibly pushing them down. His hand on her sex stroked her clit, felt her inside, pulled at her. It had no focus because he was delirious with desire. "And you'll feel it, House, when I come. You'll be holding my body and you'll feel it around you and you'll hear me saying your name and thanking you for doing this to me," she went on. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't play this game. He used his strength to roll her over onto her back and then he did, indeed, pin her arms over her head, holding both wrists with one hand while his other ran down the length of her body. She could hear from his breath that she'd gotten to him, and that was enough for her. "I didn't even finish," she said, growing breathless herself.

"I get it, you're psychic," he breathed, finding her entrance with his erection. He pushed against her a little. "But so am I," he told her. "You're thinking, 'God, House, please, yes,'" he grinned at her, trying to wrest back a little of the power, "and so on…". Cuddy smiled.

"I'm actually…" - He moved against her, her breath caught. - "thinking about the meeting…" - He entered her just a little, she moaned and arched up, urging him on. - "about the hospital budget…" - He pushed deeply into her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. - "on Thursday," she finished, head thrown back while he kissed her neck.

"Really?" he asked. He began thrusting into her now, one hand still on her wrists, the other propping him up to see her face. "What's the name of our hospital, Cuddy?" He moved fast and hard into her, barely able to get his words out.

"Um," she said, "Isn't it something like… God, House, please, yes." He grinned and then kissed her hard on the mouth. Their kisses were alternating between frenzied and almost non-existent, when they would just mingle passionate breath.

She felt him inside her, his hand gently pushing on her wrists. She felt his hips moving between her thighs. She couldn't get over what this man did to her. The weight of his body and the sound of his voice, the smell of his skin and taste of his mouth – all of it just took over her thoughts.

"House," Cuddy moaned. She was close. She was consumed by it. There was something so incredibly erotic about his hand on her wrists. She knew this man would do anything for her, but the idea of him "forcing" her to just lay there while he fucked her was so sexually intense, and so mirroring of their relationship – their games of false control that were really mirages for a deep devotion – that it drove her wild. Her orgasm washed over her like a wave, engulfing her entire body. In that instant he let go of her wrists and wrapped his arms around her pulling her shuddering body against him while nuzzled her neck and ear. Just as she predicted, he felt her body, in his arms and around him, and heard her crying out his name. It was even more fantastic than in his mind when Cuddy described it.

Her pushing up against him and her shaking muscles slowed, but he did not. He wanted her too much. He pushed up on his arms and looked at her completely satisfied smile as he continued sliding in and out of her. She reached up and held his face. "You're thinking how you can't hold back, how this feels too good," she murmured, "and how you'd love to just do this to me forever, but-" she didn't need to say another word. His eyes closed and his breath stopped while he thrust several more times, long and hard and deeply into her, coming inside of her. He sucked in a shaky breath and thrust again, trying to drag this out as long as possible, to be in that place where there was nothing but her, and the pleasure, and the love.

When it was over, he fell to his elbows, propping his weight above her. He still had his eyes closed and was catching his breath. She ran her finger over the features of his face – his eyelids, the bridge of his nose, the line where his stubble ended and his skin was bare, his lips.

"What am I thinking now?" he said in a hoarse whisper.

"If I know you, you're thinking about when we'll do it again," she replied. He laughed and opened his clear blue eyes. He leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"You're wrong, though that's not a bad thought either," he admitted.

She smiled at him. "I was joking," she said. "And I love you too." He smiled and lay on top of her.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

House found Wilson in the cafeteria and sat down next to him, propping his legs on the other empty chair. He helped himself to half of Wilson's sandwich.

"I saw your team scrambling today," Wilson said, handing House a napkin. "Who's the new patient?"

"Seizure with subsequent blindness in her right eye," House summarized. "No history of anything. MRI shows lesions. We're thinking secondary encephalitis. Chase is doing a lumbar and the others are running her blood for infections."

"And you are…?," Wilson asked.

"Administrating," House replied. "I'm exhausted."

"How were your two days in Vegas?" Wilson asked.

"You know at the end of 'Jedi' when they have the Ewok party? Kind of like that," House replied.

"You and Cuddy danced with small furry mutants and played xylophones?" Wilson teased back.

"Do I ask about the sordid details of your sex life, Wilson?" House asked, reaching for the free chips that he knew Wilson wouldn't eat. "Anyway, I was speaking figuratively. As I hope Bauer was when he told me and Cuddy he was gonna have our asses for breakfast."

"Yeah" Wilson sighed. "I was sick about him for two days, but he's avoiding me like the plague."

"That's cuz you, my friend, are his Achilles' heel. You are the key undoing his whole scheme," House pointed out.

"The scheme he created to protest the problem he created by stealing my work," Wilson summarized, highlighting its lunacy.

"Selfish people aren't always logical," House informed. "Trust me, I know."

"Should we be worried?" Wilson asked.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Wilson, since I know that is your favorite thing to be, but no, don't worry. Cuddy's got it under control." House explained.

"As always," Wilson sighed. "God knows how she manages all this, her kid, you…"

"Multitasking," House explained. "She does paperwork during sex," he told him.

"That's not exactly what I meant by 'handling you,'" Wilson clarified.

"I'm surprisingly low-maintenance, Wilson," he explained. "Fuck me and feed me and I'm good to go."

Wilson creased his brow, "Except for when you need people to bail you out of jail, lie under oath for you, take you to rehab-"

"That's just basic friendship stuff, slacker. Just be thankful you're in charge of the feeding me part," he quipped. "So did Cuddy talk to you?" House asked. Wilson nodded. "You good to go?"

"House, I'm thinking I should just let this go. I made my point… well, _you_ made my point and I think Bauer will just fade away," Wilson explained.

"Like herpes," House retorted. "He'll flare up all over your crotch again in a couple months." Wilson looked disgusted. "If you don't address this, like who knows how many others before you, he'll just continue being a parasite on other people's research."

"I see your point, but we are hardly in an ideal position for this now. If he fires back, you and even Cuddy are exposed," he said. House was silent. "House?"

"Sorry. You said Cuddy exposed and I got distracted," he explained. "Look, Wilson, Cuddy's safe. There's no evidence that she knew what I was going to do, or was even there. She was standing in the back of the room. No one saw her."

"But it still exposes her to scrutiny, which kills me," Wilson countered.

"She's a big girl, Wilson. She doesn't run this hospital without people up her ass about things all the time," House explained. "I know that now more than ever."

"Which leaves you," Wilson concluded.

"Always the thorn in your paw," House quipped. "Wilson, I'll be fine. You and I both know I've weathered worse than this. And the accusation, 'impersonating a colleague' sounds so much worse than what I actually did. If I go down for this, at least I'll have made a statement about colleagues sticking up for each other." Wilson sighed, overwhelmed by the whole situation. "Wilson, there's nowhere else to go with this. File the grievance and Valtrex his ass."

"Okay," Wilson said, resigned. House nodded, satisfied that they were in agreement.

"Stop worrying, Wilson! It's bad for your health," House said, drinking some of his soda. "Blech, you're drinking diet now?"

Wilson sighed heavily. "I'll stop worrying when you stop stealing my food," he proposed.

"You're going to die a young death, my friend," House replied, setting the cup back on his tray.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Wilson filed the report with the ethics committee along with an addendum from Cuddy vetting his work with the evidence she had gathered. They had held their breath for a week to see what Bauer would do and, as promised, he countered that this was all part of an elaborate plan House had to settle a score with him, relaying the story about House impersonating him at the conference. He further insinuated Cuddy as part of the scheme, citing her romantic relationship with House as an impairment to her judgment as the hospital administrator. The investigative committee spent another week going over the evidence, then set up a meeting with the parties concerned: Wilson, Bauer, Cuddy, and House. They all sat in the hospital boardroom – four committee members at one end of the table, House next to Wilson and across from Cuddy, and Bauer next to Cuddy at the end.

"We have several issues of proper conduct to discuss here today," the chairperson began, "All of which are rooted in the idea of identity – of one's work and of one's self." He droned on for a bit about the moral imperative of the good conduct of doctors, professionalism in academic settings, and so on. Cuddy was attentive, trying to read between the lines for any hint of their feelings, and clues as to what she needed to say during this discussion. House was starting to zone out like he was a junior high health class.

"Dr. House," he then heard, coming back to attention. "Is what Dr. Bauer accuses you of true?"

House paused, considering the question. He could feel Cuddy and Wilson holding their breaths. "There is some truth in his description of my actions, but his coloring of the larger context is completely fabricated." He saw Cuddy nod ever so slightly, rooting for him to handle this well.

"What is the truth of your actions?" the committee member asked.

House took a deep breath. There was no going back from here, and he wasn't even sure what was at stake, but if he wove a web of complicated lies, Cuddy and Wilson were sure to get stuck in it. "I went to the conference presentation with Dr. Wilson, my colleague and friend, and Dr. Bauer was not present when they introduced him. I was upset about the fact that he had stolen Wilson's research work, so I impulsively made the decision to use that opportunity to give Wilson the credit," House explained.

"By doing what exactly?" one member pressed.

"By introducing myself as Dr. Bauer, explaining that I took credit for Wilson's work, and handing the floor over to Wilson," House answered.

"I see," the committee member replied. "And Dr. Wilson, how did you respond to these actions?"

Now Wilson took a deep breath. "I was flustered and surprised. Dr. House had introduced me and the audience was waiting. I knew the work well because it was mine, and I felt angry about having it represented as someone else's, so I spoke about it. I added nothing more to what House had said, but I didn't deny any of it either."

"Dr. Cuddy, what was your role in all of this?" another member asked next.

"None," she replied. "The whole thing occurred without my knowledge." House saw Bauer roll his eyes.

"Do you endorse Dr. House's and Dr. Wilson's actions?" the committee member asked.

Cuddy paused. _Careful, Cuddy_, House thought. _You're already lying; don't start thinking about integrity now._

"I wish that Dr. House had not handled it that way and had allowed us to pursue the proper channels upon returning from the conference," she replied.

"But do you approve of what he did instead?" she was asked again.

She looked at House, eye to eye, and said, "No, I do not approve of what he did." She was remarkable. She was looking directly at him, only amplifying the impact of her statement for the committee, and the half of her face to their side remained stoic. But he saw her mouth, the side towards Bauer, tilt upward into an almost imperceptible smile. House had a million dirty quips going through his mind about being reprimanded, punished, etc., but luckily Wilson knew him far too well and kicked him under the table, lest he forget what was going on here.

"And regarding Dr. Wilson's actions?" she was asked.

"I believe Dr. Wilson did what any number of people might have done when put in his position. It was awkward and complex and he had to make a snap decision and follow through with it. Due to the lack of prior knowledge on his part, and his emotional state due to the nature of the incident, I don't hold him responsible for any wrongdoing," Cuddy said completely truthfully.

"That statement makes sense," one committee member agreed, "Assuming that it was, in fact, Dr. Wilson's work being presented by Dr. Bauer." They all felt the tension rising, as this was the real crux of the case. Bauer swallowed.

"Dr. Bauer, do you still contend that the work you were scheduled to present and the paper you submitted to the conference are your own original work?" the committee member asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"Would you please describe the work for us?" the committee member pressed. Bauer was no fool. He came prepared, having reviewed everything Wilson had ever shared with him, and he talked as if he were a passionate advocate for this approach to working with medical students. He just hadn't banked on Cuddy's tenacious efforts to protect not just her boyfriend, but her friend and employee.

The committee excused themselves to deliberate privately and there was a palpably awkward 10 minutes during which the four of them were in the room. It was bizarre. No one spoke, for fear of upsetting the delicate balance of the situation. House met Cuddy's eyes several times, but couldn't read her. Then the committee filed back in.

"You do sound like you have a passion for this work, Dr. Bauer," the committee member noted. Bauer nodded emphatically and smiled. "It's curious to us then, why none of your medical student from this past year have experienced any of these practices while working with you." Bauer stared, confused.

"Dr. Cuddy, as a neutral investigator herself into the situation, interviewed a dozen medical students that you worked with and nearly a dozen who worked under Dr. Wilson. All of Dr. Wilson's students cited at least half of the practices outlined in this line of research, and many made statements that closely resembled the quotes from the qualitative data section, allowing us to almost match people in spite of the pseudonyms used in the data. None of yours made any reference to such experiences." Bauer looked panicked. "Do you have a way to explain this, Dr. Bauer?" He blinked at them. "I do," he said, getting reckless, "Dr. Cuddy has a relationship with Dr. House and fabricated that stuff to try to protect him."

"That is an interesting theory, but the interviews were all videotaped and submitted as support for Dr. Wilson's claim. Moreover, such evidence doesn't make a huge impact on the separate accusations you make against Dr. House." Bauer looked deflated. "Dr. Bauer, I think it is clear that to everyone on the committee that you have stolen the intellectual property of another doctor. The consequences for that are numerous, not least of which is a temporary revoking of your ability to publish in any of the major research venues. We note this consequence here as reassurance to Dr. Wilson that he will be able to claim the work as his own, should he decide to pursue publication. Further consequences will be explained to you and Dr. Cuddy in a private setting."

Bauer got up and was about to storm out of the room. He paused though, and asked with a hiss in his voice, "What about House?"

"Dr. House's actions were incorrect, but also understandable given the grievous nature of your conduct and his longstanding collegial relationship with Dr. Wilson. Given that we have a clear statement from Dr. Cuddy that she understands and disapproves of his actions, we will trust her to take immediate action in reprimanding Dr. House and assuring that such a thing won't happen again."

House looked at Cuddy, biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from all out smiling at her. Cuddy nodded solemnly at the committee. "I assure you I will handle his consequences," she said. She looked straight at him, tiny lopsided smile appearing again. Wilson kicked House for a second time. Bauer's head nearly exploded as he stormed out.

"Finally, Dr. Wilson, on behalf of the ethics committee, we'd like to apologize to you for the stress this situation has surely caused you and to thank you for your patience as we sorted through all of the evidence during the last several weeks," he said.

Wilson was speechless. Over two weeks his worrying mind had cooked up a completely different scenario, never expecting such a tidy ending, let alone an apology to him. "Thanks for all the consideration," was all he could muster.

The committee gathered their things and made awkward goodbyes, leaving House, Cuddy and Wilson alone in the room. Still no one spoke for a minute, the tension of the situation making them feel like they were being videotaped or something. Then House leaned back in his chair, put his feel on the table and said, "So what's it gonna be, Cuddy? Chain me up? Spank me? Bed with no TV?"

"House," Wilson interrupted, before the snarking could gain momentum, "You have no idea what an amazing woman you have somehow been able to ensnare into your weird world." Wilson informed him. He looked at Cuddy, "I don't know how to thank you."

She smiled her first big broad smile since the committee left. "Take us out to dinner?" she asked, "I need a drink."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Wilson and Sam dropped House and Cuddy off at home, both just a bit happily drunk. The whole thing was over and the lifting of the stress itself was intoxicating, let alone the wine. They spent the early evening silly and playful with Rachel after the nanny left. House loved drunk Cuddy the same way he loved Cuddy in the throes of sex – She relaxed, let her guard down, and was far more open to suggestion. He opened another bottle of wine at home and made sure her glass stayed full.

House helped Cuddy put Rachel to bed, which he hadn't done before. The whole bonding of the stressful event had opened him just a crack more. He was that type – it was a gradual process.

When they walked out of Rachel's room, he scooped Cuddy over his shoulder and she had to stifle a scream. He carried her the few feet to the bedroom and flopped her on the bed, climbing on top of her. "So, Dr. Cuddy," he said, "I've been nervous about this all evening… How are you planning to reprimand me?"

Cuddy grinned mischievously. Of course she knew this theme was on its way, ever since she saw the glint in his eye when the committee member brought it up. It was too good for a horny guy like House to not capitalize on.

"Dr. House, I am very disappointed in your conduct," she said, with a mock frown on her face. "You really should have left your friend Wilson to fend for himself. That kind of loyalty and cleverness will not be tolerated," she lectured. House made mock serious face, showing his shame. "I need to make sure something like this won't happen again, so your punishment will be something you cannot ever forget." Her words had just the tiniest hint of a drunken slur to them – It was adorable.

"I understand," he said, unable to fight a smile, but also incredibly curious. He knew Cuddy and she surely had not thought of the dirty, dirty things he had thought of since this theme was presented. It would take him years to lure her into some of those fantasies. But she was a little drunk and had that sassy look about her right now, which meant she had something in mind.

"You need to learn restraint, Dr. House. You can't always act on your impulses," she told him. He nodded, seeing where this might be going and loving how much he would hate it. She pushed him into a sitting position and sat up to face him. "Starting right now, you are not allowed to touch me until I tell you that you can," she explained. She grinned at him. Her eyelids were slightly lower than usual and her smile was wide and free. She was silly and loving this game already.

"Now, I need to take a shower before bed to unwind a little," she told him, pulling her shirt over her head. He stared at her gorgeous breasts, her nipples visible through the white lace of her bra. She leaned forward, almost touching his lips, and said, "You can watch all you want – you just can't touch." She kissed him feather-light on his mouth. He opened his lips for more of her, but she was already gone, sliding off the bed. She stood at the side of the bed and unzipped her skirt, sliding it down her already bare legs. Then she turned and sashayed into the bathroom, wiggling her butt in the cutest, sexiest way. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He, of course, followed her.

Cuddy turned on the shower, making a production of bending sharply at the waist to reach the faucet so that her ass stuck out. House had his usual impulse to grab it, to move up behind her and push against her, but she looked over her shoulder at him and reminded him, 'No touching, House." He nodded again, completely taken in by her little game. He sat on the bathroom counter and she came up to him and opened his legs to stand between them. She was so close to him now. She reached behind her and unclasped her bra, which fell with a soft whoosh on to his lap. Her round perfect breasts were right in front of him, begging to be touched. Cuddy leaned in so that they were almost against him. "Are you learning your lesson?" she whispered.

House gave her little grin, trying to fight back by appearing unaffected, though he knew she could tell from the bulge in his pants that that was an act. "I think I am," he told her, acting contrite, pouting.

"Good," Cuddy told him sternly, she stepped away from him and worked her panties down her legs like a stripper. She turned back toward the shower and put her hand in the water. "Not _quite _right," she said, bending again to adjust the faucet, her bare ass positioned between House's knees. Okay, this was difficult. Her ass was his weakness. He sat on his hands and tried to enjoy the sensation of being out of control. The problem was, as it always was with Cuddy, that the hottest part of her having control was his imagining how he was going to take it back from her again. He imagined pushing her against the tile wall of the bathroom right then and fucking her silly while the steam filled the bathroom. But he also imagined letting this drag out longer, letting her get lost in the game until she wanted nothing more than for him to overtake her. He sighed, loving how they worked their screwed up little relationship.

Cuddy stepped into the shower, closing the glass door behind her. He could see her blurry form as she soaped up and washed her hair. At moments she would press part of her skin right against the glass, pretending to bend to wash something or pick up a dropped bar of soap. House was incredibly turned on, but patient. He could watch her for days. She turned off the water and opened the shower door. A puff of steam flowed out, and then he saw her naked, perfectly sculpted body, with drops of water sliding down her skin and clinging to key parts of her. "Can you hand me my towel?" she asked him. He didn't take his eyes of her for a minute, moving them up and down her form, but leaned to the side and found her towel hanging on the wall. He held it open like he would wrap her in it, but she shook her head and tsked him, pulling it from his grip. She didn't even really dry off, merely squeezing her hair into it, then wrapping it around her body.

She walked back into the bedroom and he followed her again. She sat on the bed and reached for her bottle of body lotion on her nightstand and let her towel fall around her. She rubbed lotion into every inch of her skin as he watched her. This was highly erotic, but it was really only an exaggerated version of what he went through daily, watching her dress or undress at the beginning and end of her day, longing to pounce on her but knowing they had to get to work or they had to wait until Rachel was down for the night. But then she upped the ante.

Cuddy lay back into the pillows, stretching her naked body out long across the bed. She looked right into his eyes and she put her hand against her own throat, then began sliding it down her body. She ran her hand over her breasts, using her own fingers to circle around her nipples. She slid her hand slowly, slowly down her stomach, then veered a little and slid it down her thigh. House wanted to _be_ her hand. He watched as she slid her hand inward and moved up to her sex, gently opening herself. He couldn't help it, and he moved closer to her. She met his blue eyes, still smiling her cute little devilish smile. Then she closed them suddenly and laid her head back in the pillow. House looked quickly down and saw her slide two of her fingers into her entrance, sighing and moving her hips.

"Jesus, Cuddy," he said involuntarily. He was painfully dying to touch her. Cuddy slid her fingers out, then back in slowly, again letting out a little moan. Her other hand slid slowly down her body, mimicking the first. It reached her heat and stroked lightly at her clit. House was so delirious, he'd catch himself almost closing his eyes with knowing the feeling of her, then realize he wasn't actually touching her and his vision was all he had in this.

"I want you, House," she told him, which she knew was all she ever needed to say – in the bedroom, in the living room, in the kitchen, in goddamn Grand Central Station. He sucked in his breath, not knowing if that meant the game was over. "But first you have to promise me…" she breathed, sliding her fingers into herself again, "that you will control your impulses from now on."

That was it. This was his cue and he knew it. He didn't know how they co-wrote these little scripts of theirs, but something allowed them to constantly communicate between the lines. He was against her in a moment, and he shoved her hands away to give him access to her. He kissed her hard and his other hand moved across her breasts, gently squeezing them, lifting them, stroking her nipples. "I don't think I can promise that, Cuddy," he told her, looking in her eyes. "Some things just arouse an instinct in me," he explained, licking up her neck back up to her mouth to continue kissing her. She was breathless already from his immediate assault on every part of her. Her hands were already fumbling with his belt and the fly of his pants.

"Then I'll have to think of a different punishment I guess," she gasped, sliding his pants over his ass and using her feet to push them down and off his legs.

"Okay. You do that," he mumbled into her hair. She pulled his shirt up over his head, with his help, and then he rolled her onto her stomach. "I think I'm getting better though," he reassured her mockingly. "In the bathroom, I believe you were in a position close to this," he said, pulling up on her hips so her ass was pressed against him. "And I knew I was not allowed to touch you," he continued as Cuddy heard him sliding his boxer briefs off behind her, "But my instinct was to do something like this," he said and he slid slowly into her, all the way, causing them both to moan. He started breathing incredibly hard, and between breaths said, "But I controlled myself." He bent over her, kissing the small of her back and running his hands through her hair and down her body, settling them on her hips.

"So we're making progress," she replied, in almost a whisper as he pulled slowly out of her then thrust again. He simply mumbled something like an agreement. He moved in and out of her now, at an excruciatingly slow pace, feeling every inch of himself enter her, then pulling out only to feel the sensation again. Cuddy's hands gripped the bars of the headboard and her wet hair clung to her shoulders and back, some strands even lying across her face. He felt her pushing back to meet his thrusts, urging him to go faster. Instead, he used every ounce of willpower he had to continue this slow teasing of her, and bent and propped himself on one arm, reaching his other hand around her hips to find her clit. He rubbed it and pushed on it, finding the exact angle and pressure that made her push up to her hands, throwing her head back, her wet hair sprinkling little dots of water on to him. "God, House. Oh my god, House," she cried out. He just maintained it. He could feel her climbing, hear it in her choice of words, the pitch of her moans. He knew this woman well by now. He kept urging her slowly towards her orgasm, feeling the muscles in her ass tense against his stomach, hearing her breathing occur in fits and starts. Finally she begged him, "Faster, please, House. God, please." He knew then that it was a matter of moments before she'd be in ecstasy.

He began thrusting wildly into her, finally giving in to his body's own impulses and doing exactly what she'd begged him to do. He felt her fall. She fell back onto her chest, her hands again grasping the headboard. Her body shuddered beneath him and he felt the wet hot tightness of her sex squeeze around him. As he continued to push into her, he couldn't even remember the game, the day, the week and he sat back up and moved one hand to her hip as he made his final moves into her before falling apart. His eyes closed, he bit his lip, and he felt every instant like it was an hour long. The pleasure was so intense, he didn't even know if he was saying words or sounds or nothing at all. He moved in her again and again until it was over, then he continued to move slowly and gently, already reminiscing about how it had felt. He lay down over her back, their thighs stuck together and his face cooling in the wetness of her back and hair. Their heavy breaths were in sync and he could feel her heart pounding through her back, as he was sure she could feel his. Sometimes he felt like they really had become one person.

As they returned to normal, he kissed her between her shoulder blades, then gently lifted her thighs to lay her down comfortably, sliding out of her as he did so. He lay next to her and met her steel blue eyes. "How are you going to describe that in your report to the ethics committee?" he asked her, eyes half closed, grinning at her. She laughed and thought about it.

"I'll tell them I temporarily suspended you from your usual role and responsibilities," she told him. House smiled at her. "And that through intense discussion you were able to see the position you had put me in." They both laughed a little. "And that you promised to make it up to me every day with your future conduct."


End file.
